The Cecil Whig., 1887-12-03
How Poor Boys Rise.
| BY Richard II. TltheringtOn. |

OF those who are today the leading
men Of this country began life as
poor boys and worked their own
way into the front rank. The fact
is SO familiar that good deal of its
significance has been lost sight of.
The examples OF Lincoln, Grant, and
Garfield, of A. I. Stewart, Jay Gould,
and Russell Sage have been so often
set before American boys, that they
are in danger of losing their force.
81 am tired of hearing that | can
rise like one of these great men," |
have heard a young fellow say.
"These famous and conspicuous cases
are the rare exception, due to re-
markable good luck and the possess
sion of extraordinary abilities. One
boy in a million may follow such ex-
amples, but how about the other nine
hundred and ninety nine thousand
nine hundred and ninety-nine? They
have very little chance of success,
and it grows harder and harder to
reach it every day"
This IS an opinion that l wish to
emphaucally contradict. 1t is an
eSreglous mistake. Granted that
very few can follow in the footsteps
OF the "reat men have mentioned,
whose extraordinary Careers were due
to combination of remarkable quail
tiles and talents, aided, no doubt, by
good fortune, still it is undoubtedly
the fact that almost any boy car, if
he will, achi We very large measure
of success. Thousands of BOYS are
actually doing so today. Gould,
Sage, and others whose names are
famous, are not our only sell made
men. 1t is stated, not at random,
but on the authority of an eminent
statistician, that fully three quarters
of the men who now own land,
houses, and factories, who manage
companies, control mines, and de
post in banks, started life without
penny.
This is a great fact. The country
may well be proud of it, and it gives
an even more pow erful encourage
ment to ambitious boys than does
the shining example of some brilliant
career, In this article propose to
give instances, chiefly taken from
the daily papers, to substantiate the
statements | have made.
In series of sketches of leading
American journalists published in
the last volume of The Golden
-4rgos', it was noted that many OF
them have risen from the type set
ter's case, and nearly all of them
have gained success solely by their
own efforts. There is no better school
than printing Office, and no pro-
fession where merit is surer to tell
than it is in journalism and there is
no reason why other printers boys
should not follow in the footsteps of
Benjamin Franklin; of Colonel Tay-
lor, OF the Boston GL0be; of Foster
Coates, of the New York Mil and
E,tb1cSS; of Ex-Postmaster General
Thomas L. James, of Ex-Governor
Nathaniel p. Banks of Massachusetts;
of Benjamin P. Shillaber, who made
"a national reputation as "Mrs. Par
tirgton'; of c. A. Beaman, part
ner in Senator Evarts's law firm; of
General Horatio c. King, a Judge
Advocate General of New York
State; and OF many other successful
men who began life as "printer's
devils. "
There must be-and no doubt
there is-something stimulating in
the proximity of newspapers, for the
number ofnewsboys who have carved
their way to fortune is wonderfully
large. Here are few instances:
Governor Waller, of Connecti-
cut, who is now United States consul
general at London, was a curly
headed, bare footed newsboy, who
sold papers in New York, near Full
ton Ferry.
General Philip H. Sheridan, Com
mandrr in chief of the United States
army, was newsboy before he got
a nomination TO West Point.
Edwin B. Haskell, one of the own
ers of the Boston Herald, was once
a newsboy; SO also with his partner,
Charles A. Andrews.
The late Ben: Perley Poore, the
well known Washington correspon-
dent, peddled newspapers in Boston.
General Anson Staser, who died not
long ago, was a newsboy in Roches
ter, then telegraph operator, and
finally vice president Of the Western
Union Telegraph Company.
This suggests several other telC-
graph operators who have risen.
Edison is a familiar instance, and
there are more. President Hughitt,
of the Chicago and Northwestern
Railroad, is one; President Strong,
OF the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Ee * anOther. General SuDerin-